


Castle Of Cards

by wanderingintrovert (nyoengland)



Series: The Primary Suits [1]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: ...eventually, AU, Alternate Universe, Cardverse, F/M, Human Names Used, M/M, Multi, The Selection AU, aces, alfred has to date too many people at once, also there are more ships but i'll add to the ship list when they appear, but you'll have to trawl through 50+ chapters so um good luck, focus on usuk, go to the FFNET version if you want constant weekly updates, really bad updates, reupload, thank you
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-07
Updated: 2016-10-23
Packaged: 2018-05-25 05:25:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6182287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyoengland/pseuds/wanderingintrovert
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alfred was the heir to the Spades throne. Arthur was part of his Deciding, having met him years before. Neither of them expected to cross paths again, and between all the secrets and affairs within the folds of the primary suits, will they manage to stay themselves-and possibly find love? Based off The Selection series. Updated at least weekly, if not more frequently. Cardverse! Reupload from Fanfiction.net.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> here is the official rewrite! i've completely scrapped the old one, and thanks to some lovely critics i've refurbished it. the next few chapters will be following soon, so please enjoy!
> 
> as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.
> 
> i'm sorry if updates are very, very slow in AO3. If you want to read frequent updates, please go to the FFNET link.  
> Also, the original version is here: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11255863/1/Cards-at-Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> here is the official rewrite! i've completely scrapped the old one, and thanks to some lovely critics i've refurbished it. the next few chapters will be following soon, so please enjoy!
> 
> as always, i do not own the selection nor hetalia. these belong to kiera cass and himaruya hidekaz respectively.

Arthur peered out of the door of their small apartment, his eyes seeking out his roommate and giving a relieved sigh as Kiku's dark hair came over the rickety stairs that led to their housing facility.

"Have our recent test results come back yet?" Arthur called.

"Not yet," his best friend said curtly. "But there is something else that I think that you would wish to see."

"Did you use too much water again this month?" he asked in response, shuffling through the white envelopes.

"I will pay more in advance this time," Kiku replied, sounding embarrassed, but handed him a thick bundle of multicoloured envelopes. "But these are the ones that I would like to bring to your attention."

Arthur's mouth twisted into a frown when he took one of each colour, turning them over and over in his hands. The coarse surface was a lot different than the smooth ones that were the norm in Hearts, so that could mean one thing.

"Did the head mention something about them coming this early? They only gave us that lecture last week. Now we have to choose?"

"You may say that I have already made a decision." Kiku said as he beckoned Arthur back into their apartment and locked the door behind him.

"I'm guessing you talked with Heracles?" He put the rest of the letters onto their kitchen table as he turned the dingy living room light back on. "He did mention something about the Signing at lunch last week."

"Who else would I have discussed such a topic with? He recommended that I would stay in Hearts, because even though there is a tiny chance that I will join their Suit, I do not have to marry anyone in the end. Unfortunately, I doubt that would help his predicament, because the farthest I might get is a recommendation," Kiku sighed, his face shifting into a dejected expression.

The atmosphere turned quiet as Arthur shelled the papers out of the envelopes, examining each one with a serious expression. Each one provided a small overview of each of the current Primary Suit members for each kingdom and some basic information and what would be required of them. After a few moments, Kiku followed suit, the other boy deciding to go and prepare breakfast. All these difficult decisions called for a good, strong cup of tea.

"Did the head council mention anything about Diamonds this year? I know they are not hosting this time around, but…they hosted one last year and that certainly was not to gain a new member."

"Monetary problems." Arthur replied over a mouthful of scone. "They've been in a trade deficit recently, and that's why King Francis didn't say anything about it this time."

"Do you really think the king will publicly admit that his country is weak? I am guessing that Clubs are in a similar problem, but of course due to their king they will not talk."

"Is there anything else I need to know about the other kingdoms?"

"Well, Clubs are looking for their Ace and Spades and Hearts are both looking for their Queens. However, if I remember correctly, you will have to marry the crown prince if you are to apply for Spades."

"Oh?" Arthur said, taking another sip of his tea. "His name's…Alfred, if I remember correctly."

They hadn't had much interaction at all with either of the Primary Suits, especially for a group of people whose lives had been prepped up to this point in time to become part of them. Arthur could only remember one time when they were a lot younger and the holding facility was still located in Spades territory. The entire royal family had visited that time, but other from that and occasional television reports, those were the only memories he had.

"Arthur, I am not sure you understand the situation," Kiku pressed with an amused expression. "In order to compete in the Spades Deciding, you will be expected to attempt to romance the prince."

His expression paused for a moment, then he quickly scanned the letter that Kiku had in his hands.

…this nature of the Deciding will be romantic, with the expectation of being able to be romantically interested in Prince Alfred. Most interactions will be expected to express romantic attraction, and it is discouraged if a participant's respects towards the prince are anything but a romantic nature…

"You're not making me do that!" Arthur protested, pushing the paper back onto the table. "Respects anything but romantic? I haven't even been involved with someone before!"

Kiku chuckled, putting down his cup. "I did ask whether you really did read the information before brushing it off."

"What, am I supposed to be a blushing teenager completely obsessed with him? I mean, I won't have the basis to hate him, but…!"

"Do you think that he would be so easy to dislike? This is an opportunity for you as well for him."

"Kiku, can't I join Hearts with you?" Arthur pleaded, running his hands through his hair. "Things like these usually don't end well."

His friend suddenly looked uncomfortable, and began to fidget nervously.

"Kiku, what's bothering you?"

"I…I have a big favour to ask of you," he said. "And well…let us just say that is the reason why I must ask you to join the Spades Deciding."

"Is it because of the alliance?" Arthur asked, to which Kiku nodded yes.

The kingdoms of Spades and Hearts had been aligned with each other since their creation and had held one of the longest trade and aid alliances. Only until recently had the two kingdoms resumed their military alliance over the long feud over two lands, and they were taking further steps to improve the status of their agreement.

"I am sure that whatever I will try to do to protect Heracles might not be enough if I apply for Hearts, it will not be much. But since Spades have an influence over Hearts, maybe someone from that kingdom may be able to influence them to at least send him home as soon as possible. It is the least I can do," Kiku said, but his expression was pleading. "It would mean the world to me, Arthur, if you signed up for not only his sake but yours. We have been preparing for this moment since we stepped into this facility, after all."

Arthur's gaze was lost as he nursed his cup, clearly deep in thought.

"But," Kiku sighed, shuffling around the room to get a pen, "If you are really against the idea, then I will sign up for Spades instead."

"That means you'll have to romance the prince instead! Don't you already love Heracles?" Arthur blurted, his gaze shooting up from the floor to his best friend.

"I would rather he be alive than me being content and him gone."

Silence filled the room for a few moments before Arthur exhaled and uncapped the lid of the pen. He didn't quite know what to say; even though he had been a third wheel for the pair for a long time there was such a strong devotion between the two that he couldn't help but admire. Why should he ask Kiku to give up their love, when there was clearly another option?

"Kiku…sign up for the Deciding in Hearts."

"What? Arthur, you know that I cannot sit back and do nothing for his situation-" he began, but Arthur shook his head, making him quiet.

"You're right," he said slowly. "We were trained to enter one, right? And if I don't…well, I won't fall in love with the prince, then I guess I should walk away with the fact that I've at least tried."

A small smile made it's way onto Kiku's mouth, and he nodded tightly.

"We should fill out the forms before we get too caught up."

\-----

"…for every week of your participation, you will be rewarded in a selection of ways-whether that be in monetary means given to you or other social favours…"

Arthur was slowly reading the letter aloud, skimming over the areas that had been already covered in the lecture they had the other day. But Kiku seemed to be reading another, smaller envelope-this time stained yellow. Kiku had taken a walk after their intense conversation, and so he had put off rereading the letter properly until the sun had began to dip underneath the towering tree in their compound.

"Anything interesting?"

"Oh, it is Matthew. He came in with the post," his friend replied. "There seems to be an issue with the new Deciding season."

"…has there been another issue? I thought the two of you were still talking."

"We are," Kiku said, keeping his voice down due to the substance of the conversation. "It's just that there seems to be added pressure for him to take in a companion by his advisership."

Arthur pulled his chair closer, whispering as he spoke.

"Is it about…Gilbert?"

Gilbert-or as everyone else in Cards knew him, the second Joker-had been romantically involved with the Ace of Spades since he turned sixteen.

Arthur wasn't aware of the fact that Kiku and Matthew had kept such close correspondence until last October, when he had come home late with cleaning up a table he had accidentally thrown a pair of scissors with his magic. He'd found the mail on a neat heap after Kiku had taken it in, and Matthew's lettering had not been enough to identify him but the palace issued stationery had been enough. The fact that he had become involved with the Joker, of all people, was baffling to Arthur since from reading the newspaper and occasionally watching the television Matthew seemed like a sensible person.

"It seems so. He is saying that he is expected to find a companionship…'very soon, as Yao fears that I may be lonely while Alfred and his bunch are visiting. Even more so when he chooses his Queen.' He apparently is asking for one of us to-oh, yes, that is correct."

"He's a very nice guy, from what little we know," Arthur said quietly. "Well, I suppose I'll just go on your behalf, then."

"It is more of the Gilbert issue that he seems to require assistance on. He apparently wants to confess the nature of their relationship to the rest of the court? I have advised him to hold back for quite a while now, but it seems like he really does want to do it even more so now. You would be a confidante, I assume."

"It's just a little thing. The only thing I have to do is to not blab and keep my mouth shut, right?" Arthur said, taking the paper from Kiku and reading. "It's definitely not going to be a problem."

"It is if you are refusing to fill our these forms. It is getting late, and we are going to have our goodbye ceremony in a few days, let alone be at the submission area. It is not just going to be us, you know."

Arthur waited for Kiku to reorganise the letters in a neat pile, then they both went upstairs to prepare for bed.

Tomorrow would definitely be a glimpse into the future they had in the kingdoms of Cards.


	2. Content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ORIGINAL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11255863/2/Cards-at-Heart
> 
> i'm so sorry that i haven't updated in a while, i was meaning to but i decided to rewrite it! my bad OTL
> 
> also, thank you all for the kudos and comments! i really appreciate them

i do not own the selection nor hetalia. they belong to kiera cass and himuraya hidekazu respectively.

Kiku definitely wasn't exaggerating when he said that the lines were packed.

By the time Arthur groggily pencilled in the last grade he had received for his magic and Kiku had greeted him in the kitchen with a piece of buttered toast, the usually spacious facility was completely packed. The revolving glass doors were wide open, and a pair of guards clad in Hearts' military uniform were standing outside them and keeping control of the crowd, the red stark in contrast against the brightly painted walls.

The line stretched out near the base of the marble steps that lead up to the main compound. Arthur and Kiku waved hello to a few familiar faces from their weekly magic class, but judging from the various parents and teenagers clutching forms, the crowd was not limited to the candidates assigned to the holding facilities.

They were likely part of the upper class, the ones that were fortunate and wealthy enough to live in the Inner Circle. A girl quite a way up above was holding a pale pink shawl and was dressed in an intricate purple skirt, and her mother seemed to be holding a paper and talking to her harshly. Another boy was dressed very smartly, straightening his hat before he strode up the steps and snapped his phone closed, a luxury that was limited to residents of the Inner Circles only.

"Do you think they've separated the lines like they did last time?" Arthur asked as they came near to the end of the line, jogging up the stairs.

"It would probably partition near the beginning," Kiku reasoned, sounding a little breathless. "There seems to be a lot more this time than they had last time around."

"Are we even near the end of the line yet? Why do you think there's more people-" Arthur began, but he crashed straight into a girl right in front of them, who whipped around almost immediately.

Her ice-blue eyes were striking, and she pushed away her platinum blonde hair as she watched him getting up critically.

"We have reached the end of the line," Kiku concluded sheepishly.

"Hi, would you punks like to explain yourselves?" she snapped.

She was pretty in appearance, her hair loosely tied together and secured with a dark ribbon and she was wearing a black dress, but the severe expression took all those thoughts right out of Arthur's head.

"Um, sorry, Miss-"

"Natalya," she replied frostily. "I'm assuming you're one of those kids from the holding facilities."  
"That would be correct," Kiku said, desperately trying to rectify the solution before Arthur started squaring up for a fight as well. "We are sorry that we disturbed you, we were just a little hurried to sign up."  
"Is it because you're signing up for the Spades Deciding, like almost all of the other rich kids in the area? There's this girl up front, calls herself Marianne," she muttered in response as Arthur brushed off some dust from his coat and quickly mumbled an apology. "Thinks she's destined to be the next Queen of Spades."

"I'm applying for Spades, yes, but Kiku here is going for the Hearts Kingdom. I'm Arthur, by the way. Pleasure to meet you." Arthur said, offering his hand so that she could give him hers.

"Oh, the pleasure is all mine," she snarked right back, instead taking his hand in a tight grip and shaking it firmly. "Spades, as well."

As they got closer and closer to the area where the queue split into the people from the holding facilities and the people who had to pay an additional fee to get into the Deciding, Kiku would not stop frantically checking his form.

"What if we have missed something? I am sure that you placed the fact that I speak more than one language on the list of my improved attributes, but still-" he fretted. The two of them had decided to fill out the other's redeeming qualities and attributes in order to get a fair bias. Arthur still worried that his best friend had embellished him to be some sort of magical god.

"Kiku, I definitely do not pour as much time into reading as I did before," Arthur complained as he straightened the paper. "I'm not some sort of scholar! And singing? I never even took any of my classes-"

"Aren't you supposed to be prepared?" Natalya had turned around to face them, perching on her cardboard box as they were waiting for the queue to start partitioning. "And anyway, do you really think they'll look at the application forms at length? There's got to be-I don't know, probably thousands of us and they're supposed to ask only thirty of us to come down to the palace in the end."  
"But still, if it is not neat then it does not suit standards." Kiku said, squinting amidst the awful, lashing sunlight.

"Some people are only just starting to fill in their forms," Arthur remarked, his gaze flicking around to see a boy furiously scribbling on his pale green form for Clubs while simultaneously watching the line beginning to shift.

"Yeah. But a lot of people have definitely put a lot of thought into their appearances, because come on, would you slog through three thousand applications or look at their pictures?"  
"Is that why the people from the Inner Circles have come dressed as fancily as they possibly could have?" Kiku said, taking a quick glance at the people around them. Someone, clearly from a holding facility, was clad in simple jeans and a t-shirt, and a girl next to him was speaking with him, wearing a pretty but plain summer dress. A few spots behind her, a girl was examining her nails with a bored expression on her face, but she was lathered in makeup and her dress was nothing farther from dull. Another boy, presumably her brother with their matching hair colours, was dolled up in a suit from head to toe, with smartly pressed shoes and a pale red tie, probably meant to represent the colours of the kingdom which he was competing from.

They shuffled along in mostly silence as the minutes progressed on, Arthur and Kiku finally agreeing to put away their pens as the line began to split.

As they watched the next five people be escorted into different lines, Natalya faced them again, putting down her cardboard box and her application in one swift movement.

"…who's the one that's going to Spades?" she asked.

"That would be me," Arthur said quickly, raising one thick eyebrow. "Was there something that you would like?"  
"Nothing in particular," she said, the phrase incredibly choppy in itself. "It's just that things can get brutal in there. And I know we've known each other for what-a grand total of six minutes?"  
"Forty seven minutes, to be exact," Kiku said.

"Yeah, that. Anyway…should we make a deal? I promise I won't be bitchy or behave in a shitty way towards you, and you do the same. I already have enough work on my plate trying to charm this guy I don't know, and I really don't need a fight. I have other priorities. So…is that okay with you?" she said, extending her hand for a handshake and an agreement.

But I don't know you, Arthur reasoned with himself in his mind. How do I know you won't backstab me later on?

But again, it's not like I really have anything to lose. I just have to try to get Heracles out of the military, help Matthew as best as you can, and then start a life outside the holding facilities. Then I can pursue that bookshop I've always wanted.

"It's a deal," he said, taking her cold hand and shaking it firmly. "Anyway, it's not like there will be anything to fight over. The prince isn't really anything to fight over, right?""Well, you haven't met him yet," Natalya said as the line began to shift and she began to be directed to another section. "Who knows, you could be completely head over heels for the guy in less than a week."

"Well, you haven't met him yet," Natalya said as the line began to shift and she began to be directed to another section. "Who knows, you could be completely head over heels for the guy in less than a week."  
Arthur grimaced at the thought, but wished her good luck as she walked away and did the same.

As if. I'm not some lovesick schoolgirl, after all. I'll be lucky if I make it past the first day!

\---

"Papers, please," the official said, and Arthur scuffled around in his pocket for the documents as Kiku handed them over in a neat pile.

"Which kingdom?" he asked, and Kiku replied in a swift fashion, resting his hand on the tall contraption that stood in front of the towering glass panels that led into another room.

"Mr Honda," he said, peering at his information before handing it back to him, "You'll be in Aisle Three for Hearts, Window Eight. You will be screened further there. Have a nice day. Next!"

Kiku disappeared past the glass panel that separated the brightly lit concierge into the other room.  
Arthur handed over his slightly creased forms, twiddling his thumbs nervously as the official motioned for him to place the hand on the smooth surface of the device.

It wasn't a new concept since there had been scans ever since he had come to the holding facilities when he was eight. At least it was better than tracker devices directly embedded into the candidates' skins-at least, that were the rumours of the holding facilities in Clubs and Diamonds. As usual, the surface was cold, and he felt a shudder run through his skin as he felt the machine's rays scan the surface of his hand.

"Cleared," the official continued in a gruff voice, lifting his violet gaze to meet his. "Mr Kirkland, which kingdom?"  
"Spades," Arthur replied, before he could switch to some other kingdom, knowing his stupid mind.

The official acknowledged this with a grunt, speaking his mouthpiece while he examined his papers (again). Arthur snuck a quick glance behind his shoulder at the crowd as he awkwardly shifted his weight from side to side.

"Very well, Aisle Thirteen for Spades, window number one. Have a nice day-Next!" he bellowed, handing him back his information before he was ushered away into another corridor.

It was drafty, his footsteps echoing as he made his way down the long and narrow pathway. It opened to another large hall, but it was darker, with only a few small rectangles serving as the windows, letting in minimal light. The room was colder than the hallway, the largest source of light being the multiple booths packed around the wall.

There was a large seating area, filled with velvet chairs that a crowd of people were sitting on, candidates and parents alike. Arthur spotted Kiku after a few moments due to the poor lighting, and took the seat next to him.

"There is still a while yet to your number," Kiku said as Arthur told him about his seating. "I suppose it is because there are so many candidates for Spades this time around. Mine is soon, though.""I wonder why there aren't as many people coming over to Hearts?"

"I wonder why there aren't as many people coming over to Hearts?"

"Maybe they do not want to form an attachment to the King and then find themselves in a bad situation-" he mused as a girl and her father got up from their seats and went to a blue marked counter. He began to speak again, but he was interrupted by a call of his name and noticed out from the corner of his eye that there was a booth lighting up red.

"Mr Honda," came over the intercom. "Please refer to the LED display for your booth number and your clerk."

"There it is," Kiku said quickly, his gaze moving to the large rectangle that was the display. "We might not be able to get out at the same time, so I will go ahead and buy dinner first. Any requests?"

"Um, bagels will do*."

"Mr Kirkland, may I have your papers, please?"

Arthur took off his waist pouch and placed it on the rusty hook, handing the clerk his papers. He pulled his coat around him tighter, trying to keep his body temperature at a normal state.

"The Spades Deciding, hmm?" he asked, tipping his glasses up further. Arthur nodded quickly in response.

"Not going to blame you, kid. Very nice country, with a sick prince and a cute Ace," the clerk continued, leafing through his information. "Would recommend."  
"…excuse me?" Arthur asked, trying not to sputter. This wasn't how a normal businessperson would react. Calling the prince ill? Even if Arthur had never met him, that was rather disrespectful anyway! And calling the Ace cute-that was a bizarre statement in its own!

"Yeah. Cute Ace, what about it? Ha, you fancy kids are so fun to mess around with. I asked Kat to come over with me, too bad she said it didn't feel right. You guys are a hoot!" he laughed.

"Kat?" Arthur questioned, trying to peek through the blinds. Who on Earth was this person and why-

Wait, that name. Haven't I heard her name somewhere around? I swear I have.

"Yeah, kid, unless you've been living under a rock, you know who Katya is. Super sweet Joker?"

Arthur's mind was reeling as he processed this information. "Do you know her? As in, personally talk to her?"

The man behind the window sighed, placing down Arthur's papers and hesitating for a moment before he pulled a cord and the blinds went up. They did not go up all the way, but they managed to expose a pair of pale red eyes.

"You could say that I really know her," he smirked, seeing recognition fall into Arthur's eyes.

Because who else could those well known eyes belong to, other than the Joker himself, Gilbert Beilschmidt?

"You're, uh, going have to do a lot of explaining," Arthur said in a low tone, whipping his head from side to side in paranoia.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do now, kid."

\---

*Tongue in cheek reference to the cancer inducing first draft.


	3. Content

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ORIGINAL: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11255863/2/Cards-at-Heart
> 
> i hate myself

i do not own the selection nor hetalia. they belong to kiera cass and himuraya hidekazu respectively.

\---

"Your Highness, can I just ask why in Duchess' name are you-" Arthur began, but was cut off by the Joker ducking his head lower, thus revealing the tousled silver-white hair that everyone was most familiar with.

"You don't go spouting that title in front of literally everyone," Gilbert grumbled, but other than that did not seem too angry. "You think it's a good idea to have this gossip in here, or someone that's a little more secluded?"  
"...first of all, what on Earth are you going to talk with me about? And second of all, how are you going to get us out of this packed place without someone suspecting or hearing? I'm only listening if it's anything meaningful, knowing your antics."

The younger Joker's reputation wasn't as nearly as sound as the elder-he had been suspected many a time for his pranks and his jokester antics that had caused mischief around all four Kingdoms.  
"To answer your prissy questions," Gilbert replied with an irritated twitch of his famous feathered ears that he could now see, "The first one is about that cute Ace I was talking about. Second-well, watch and learn."

Before Arthur could even open his mouth to question and protest further, the hall around them fell completely still and silent, like a veil was completely covering it.

Arthur turned to face Gilbert, but his movements were slightly slowed, as if he were moving in water.

Gilbert mouthed…something, and Arthur started following him. Unless his command was don't follow me and keep your distance, following him seemed like the most rational thing to do. In such a place, such a weird surrounding, there really wasn't anything else to do, anyway.

Arthur felt that he was physically moving as fast as he could but the frame definitely didn't make it seem that way as even his movement was distorted. To his shock, the walls started to warp, bending slightly, and the people started to slowly bend over and twist as well. He tried to speak, but no words came out. Gilbert kept on moving, not making a single sound or a single movement other than moving as quickly as he could.

He must have started physically panicking and Gilbert must have sensed or seen this, because as soon as they both made their way into an isolated room, their surroundings started to resume normality.

"Yo," Gilbert panted, his ears dangling loosely and sounding exhausted, "You okay there, punk?"  
"Of course I wasn't!" Arthur said quickly, but his voice shook all the same. "How on Earth did you do that?"  
"Comes with being a Joker," he rasped, shuffling inside his jacket for a pair of thin nylon gloves. "But it's still at the courtesy of the awesome me."

"Are you all right?" Arthur asked. "You seem rather out of breath.

"Nah, it's nothing that difficult. Just takes the wind outta my sails, uh, occasionally." Gilbert said, sinking onto the floor and pulling his gloves on.

He waited until the Joker had regained his breath, and joined him on the floor, waiting for him to speak.

The room that they had both stumbled in was dimly lit but fitted with a porthole near the ceiling, allowing a small ray of light to beam into the room. The walls and floor were completely stripped clean, and the room was completely empty save for two aged chairs.

"Where is this place?"

"Think this is an examining room, but no matter," Gilbert said quickly, shoving his hands behind his back where they weren't visible. "Let's get down to talking. It's about Matthew. Has your little friend been keeping you updated?"  
Assuming that his 'little friend' was Kiku, he nodded in response.

"So, uh, here's the thing," Gilbert said, and Arthur noted that it was one of the first times he had heard the usually confident sounding Joker-his appearances on television included-sound nervous.

"Our relationship isn't the easiest on the planet to manage, and I don't want to get into the good stuff, heh. But it has to be a secret-guessing you know why already?"  
"Um…no," Arthur said quietly. "I was assuming that it was called an affair for a reason."  
The Joker paused for a minute then shook his head quickly, resting his head against the wall.

"Then I gotta say that it's no problem. Just the fact that it's supposed to be secret should stick. Okay?" Gilbert said, to which Arthur nodded his agreement. He suspected that Gilbert had more reasons, but he thought it would be impolite to prod further.

"Did Mattie give you my letters?"

"Letters…?" Arthur trailed off before remembering the small pile of tiny yellow mail that had come in with the postage. "Um, no, my friend Kiku was the one that Matthew kept in touch with."  
Gilbert did a double take, suddenly sitting up straight and giving him a long stare before he burst into loud laughter and ran a hand through his scruffy hair, his tufted ears twitching irritably in response.

"Oh, god, wrong kid!" he spluttered. "Sorry for wastin' your time, but if you don't have the mail, I can't really help you more than that."

"So what you're saying is that you basically froze time for nothing?" Arthur hissed, starting to feel a little irritated. He wasn't even bothering to keep his voice down!

"It's not as simple as just freezing time, but yeah. Tell you what-" Gilbert started to reply, sounding a little embarrassed, but they were interrupted by a sound at the end of the corridor.

His red eyes sharpened for just for a moment as he pulled his wrists up in a flowing motion, and before Arthur knew it they were being magically suspended in their room again.

He opened the door, Arthur following as quickly as the warp would allow him. They passed a person with a handful of papers, presumably the person who made the noise, and a mother and her daughter, both clutching bags and both looking very annoyed. There was no one else in the corridor, and Arthur only got to see the longer effects of the sensation when they made their ways back to their former seats and Gilbert shut his eyes and clenched and unclenched his fists. Only when he removed his gloves did their surroundings begin to shift back to normal. People stopped shaking and fading and continued on with their business, and the seconds hand on the clock began to chirpily tick away again.

"There, wasn't so bad, right?" Gilbert panted, his grip harder on the wood than it had been for a moment. "Should we just get to what you came for?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Arthur said breathlessly, the adrenaline from the warp starting to slow down.

Gilbert yanked down the blinds in the booth once more.

\--- 

"You are back a little later than I expected," Kiku said as Arthur turned on the landing lights and locked the door, the bright light in stark contrast compared to the darkening sky.

"Sorry, there were…complications involved in the process, shall I say? I hope you saved me dinner." Arthur said, hurriedly removing off his waist pouch on top of their dresser.

"Of course," Kiku said, lifting a plastic wrapped bagel from the fridge. "I did a little bit of dusting while you were away."

"Thanks a lot, I'll do the vacuuming next week." This was where Arthur knew that Kiku had taken a lot less time for his application; his best friend was terribly precise with their home maintenance and if one checked their house after his spree they would easily pass the white glove test.

"If there will be one. Did you happen to meet Gilbert?"

Green eyes met brown as Arthur nodded, and Kiku's expression shifted into understanding as he shuffled in a cabinet and pulled out an unmarked envelope.

"I forgot to alert to you that he might be trying to seek out either of us," Kiku said sheepishly, "But he stopped by around twenty minutes ago and I gave him the post. I apologize, however, for not letting you know beforehand-"

"But you took care of him and that's more than enough for my satisfaction," Arthur chided, taking a bite of his bagel. "If you're fine with…this is a little tougher than usual," he cut off before he finished the sentence.

"Well, it is not my fault that you were so delayed whilst you were getting home." Kiku said amusedly. "Of course, if it had not gone stale I would have worried about the quality of the food."

"Mmph," Arthur mumbled through his mouthful, "Don'f be like that."

The two of them chatted lightly before they decided to retire to bed as the digital clock blipped to ten p.m.

Arthur turned off the lights as Kiku brushed his teeth in their small, squeaky clean bathroom, and the boys settled down for bed, the crickets chirping merrily as Kiku yanked down the blinds.

Arthur could hear the other's upbeat music as he reached for his headphones, wanting to push them into the tiny musical chip he-

"Kiku, where is my music chip?"

"Did you not leave it downstairs?" his best friend replied, already sounding sleepy. "You are the self dubbed king of losing things, right?"

"Don't remind me," Arthur sighed. "I'm going to open the lights, okay? In three-"

Kiku yelped as they were flicked on regardless, and he curled into his thick blanket, shivering as Arthur drowsily let his bare feet touch the cold tile and shuffled around for his bag.

He'd forgotten where it was until he stumbled onto the velvety object and got hold of it.

"We need an organizing system," Kiku hissed as Arthur turned off the lights again and plugged in his pods. "I do not want you blinding me with those lights again, please!"  
"I'm doing my best!" Arthur said. "I'll figure out something, sorry."

He fell asleep to the first four bars of his music.

reviews are still appreciated :)


	4. Delivery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a boy, his brother, and his guardian.

"It's getting late."

Alfred raised his head to peer around the corner as Yao patted him on his shoulder, making him jump.

"Your Highness, your brother is already preparing to go to sleep," the Jack of Spades chided, tugging on the prince's ear gently. "You have a Deciding to plan, young man, and staring out into the gardens won't get those candidates chosen."

"Hmph, Mattie has it easy-and Yao, didn't we agree to not use the title?" Alfred said, but relented at Yao's words.

The Jack accepted this with a nod, taking one look at the gardens before walking with the prince, placing one hand on his back."Isn't it moving a little too fast?" Alfred asked, not dragging his gaze away to face Yao. "I mean, it's not coming soon, right?"

"Isn't it moving a little too fast?" Alfred asked, not dragging his gaze away to face Yao. "I mean, it's not coming soon, right?"

"I would say it is," Yao said with an expression that told of his many years dealing with the royal twins. "A time span of two weeks seems close in my book."  
Alfred gave a start at this, but he shook his head childishly in reply.

"That's totally not near at all! Have the…things even come in yet?" he gestured awkwardly.

"First batch has already," Yao smiled, stifling a laugh at the teen's horrified expression. "It's all here for you to run your grubby hands through.""My hands are not

"My hands are not grubby!" Alfred protested. "And come on, can't this wait until morning?"

"Not if you keep on putting your sleep off, young man. Even your brother's brushing his teeth," Yao said briskly, leading him to his conjoined bedroom with his brother's on the left. "Sometimes I wish you cou-"

Alfred looked up at him, but his mouth shut tightly into a thin line and he shook out his thin ponytail.

"What were you gonna say, Yao?" he asked in a quieter, more subdued tone.

"No matter, Alfred." Yao replied quickly, ushering him into his bedroom. "But ask your maid to come for me before you go to sleep, please."

"Consider it done?" Alfred said in a quizzical tone, but smiled at his maid who quickly bowed and scurried to the bathroom to prepare his bath.

Whatever Yao wanted him to see could wait after his bubbles.

\---

"I must say, Your Highness," Yao said, stifling a chuckle, "That could easily have been one of the longest baths I've heard you take. Or was it that your maid was slow in getting to me?"

"Of course not!" Alfred said quickly, pulling down his hood, the lumpy bear ears meshing with each other. "My maid hasn't done anything wrong. I was just tired, after all."

"Have the advisers been giving you a difficult time again?" Yao asked, frowning as he took a seat. "You really should tell me if anything like the meeting last Wednesday happens again when I'm not here."

"Yes, Yao," Alfred said quietly. After a few moments, the Jack pulled out a new contraption.

It was coloured a metallic silver, and had a slim, circular shape that was cool to the touch when Alfred held it. It was shaped similarly to the small cell phone that Yao occasionally carried around with him in the palace.

"This is so cool!" Alfred exclaimed, turning it around in his hands in excitement. "Uh, what is it?"

"Since I don't think it's the best time for you to be walking around the palace at such an hour, I decided to bring the handheld port instead of us having to slouch over to the port room. You won't be able to choose until we have all the entries, and I'm sure you'll be wanting to ask Matthew for the help.""So…this is just for me to look at?" Alfred asked as he took the port from Yao's gloved hands.

"So…this is just for me to look at?" Alfred asked as he took the port from Yao's gloved hands.

"Yes, well-it's been around ever since your great grandfather, I'm told. They used to have every single application mailed straight to the palace, but to save resources now they just enter it into a database for you to paw through. And-don't touch that, Alfred," he said exasperatedly as the prince jabbed at the 'select' button on a redhead's profile, "That's not available until Sunday, when the last entries come in. And that button's not something to be taken lightly."

"How many do I get to choose?" Alfred asked, his hands scuttling around to try to get a feel of the new interface.

"Thirty. You can go back to the desktop here," Yao said, Alfred handing him the port and demonstrating, "To see a wider overview of twenty to thirty applicants, you can just go here, but if you want to zoom in, you click the picture. Got the hang of it yet?""Yao, I'm very good with electronics, unlike you," Alfred smiled, not wanting to take a moment off teasing his guardian. "Remember the last time you tried to send a message to Clubs and it ended up with Hearts instead?"

"Yao, I'm very good with electronics, unlike you," Alfred smiled, not wanting to take a moment off teasing his guardian. "Remember the last time you tried to send a message to Clubs and it ended up with Hearts instead?"

"Yes, well…" Yao trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed. "I prefer postage to the new-fangled things everyone seems to be trying to use. There's something much more valuable with a letter than a little message on a port. Besides, the ports are far too big to be of a convenience. Until we can make them do more things and make them smaller, we're going to have to keep going with your penmanship lessons."

Alfred huffed and stuck out his bottom lip in a gesture that the Jack was familiar with since childhood, and then went back to looking at the pictures.

"Is there a number of people for each Kingdom? I mean, do I hafta choose a bunch before the system lets me move on or something?"

"Alfred, these aren't like one of the games you read about when you were supposed to be brushing up on history. You don't have to choose a set number, but it's a good thing to have an even spread. But the thing with Hearts…you know what," Yao said hastily, looking at Alfred's dismayed expression, "Just go with your instinct, I should say. After all, it'll be over quicker if you find a group of people you really like instead of people you really can't stand."

"…that was what the advisers were arguing about last week."

"What?" Yao said, his gaze whipping around to meet Alfred's. His tone was calm, but Alfred could see behind his cool brown gaze to see the fury in his eyes.

"Something about a handful of people that they'd already picked out for me…" Alfred said in a small voice. "They were pretty insistent, but I managed to, um, hold them off until the next meeting."  
Yao huffed angrily, running a hand through his hair before facing Alfred and placing his hands on his shoulders.

"Look, Alfred, if I could make them stop I would have already done so. But only a Queen or a King can put them down, and until you've chosen your queen we can't do anything about that. But you must stay strong, my boy, while I do everything I can. We'll start with attending each Meeting together if my schedule allows me." Yao said, closing his eyes for a moment before patting Alfred on the back and sitting back down on the armchair. "Duchess knows how they even got the list before I had a chance to show you. They've ruined the surprise of the process."

"No, I didn't really remember anything about them," Alfred rushed to reassure his guardian, fumbling with the device. "But I would totally appreciate your help."  
"After the petition I should have excluded them completely, but as a Jack there's not that much that's in my power. I'll have a word with Matthew, since a Jack and an Ace is still slightly better than just one person of the Primary Suit."

"What about the part about queens having to bear a child before…?" Alfred began nervously, but Yao shook his head and waved his hand dismissively.

"That, well, I will try to undo as soon as possible. Since you are interested in both genders, my boy, it'll be a little harder for a male to bear a child. So if that ends up happening, I will arrange for the circumstances as best as I can."

"But doesn't that mean I'll have to try marrying a girl for better chance?" Alfred said, powering the device back on and swiping haphazardly on the screen, past pages of smiling faces. His feet started tapping on his dark blue carpet in nervousness, and his fingers moved more frantically.

"Don't think about the advisers for now." Yao soothed, folding his hands together in his lap. "With the Fates on our side, they can be kept in control for now. Because after all, the only person that can choose the true Queen of Spades is you, Alfred."

Alfred looked up at Yao, who was rising to leave the room. The Jack of Spades looked fondly at his bright blue eyes, and he couldn't but help think of the eight year old that wandered into his office and tugged on his robes and begged him for a bedtime story, the fifteen year old that had squealed in excitement when his dog had been presented to him as a present, and now, well...

"I'd actually thought you'd never grow up to be as mature as you are now." Yao said, half to himself.

"Have I done you proud?" For the first time in the whole night, Alfred's eyes carried a lining of hope, and there was a pang in Yao's heart for the eighteen year old-his posture had been stiffened, his voice not quite a tenor but not the high pitched laughter that the Jack still remembered-that had been forced to grow up far too fast.

"Of course," Yao said sincerely, Alfred getting to his feet and following him to the door. "You're very strong, my boy, and I know that you'll do very well in your Deciding. I have faith."  
Alfred cracked into a childish smile, which made Yao relax as well.

By the Fates would Alfred never truly change, and remain himself against all odds.

"Goodnight, Alfred-no, it's all right, you can keep it for tonight," Yao said quickly, pressing the port into his hands. "Do some research tonight, but don't sleep too late. There are more coming in the next few days, so please be prepared."

"Goodnight, Yao!" Alfred said, and did a quick bow before he closed the door and watched the Jack go back to his office, no doubt.

Drawing his curtains closed and peering worriedly at his dog Hero's empty bed, he leapt onto his bed and powered on the port, letting his breathing relax and his legs stretch out as he scrolled through the names and the faces of his future Chosen.

\---

The next morning, Alfred bid good morning to his maid, skipped out on his morning bath and started to prepare after he ushered his maid out for some fresh air. He let his fingers trail across his massive wardrobe and went for a loose shirt and deep blue pants for the quiet, summery morning. Putting Yao's port in the back of his pants, he wiggled his feet into a pair of simple canvas shoes before making his way to breakfast.

"Good morning, Your Highness," his butler said, smiling as Alfred sat on the chair right in front of the large dining table. He smiled back awkwardly as he asked for his usual breakfast, then fidgeted with the cloth on the table as he waited.

"Orange or apple juice?" another maid asked, offering him two glasses. He took the one with the apple juice inside, taking a long, hearty sip before he looked up and realized that the maid was still there, patiently waiting for him to finish. Gulping the rest of it down quickly, he asked for another glass, feeling self-conscious.

"Good morning, Alfred," his brother Matthew said, sliding into the chair next to him. That would usually have been reserved for the princess or queen, but since there was neither Matthew-being a full fledged Ace-took the spot for the time being.

"'Morning, Mattie!" he said, just relieved to have a distraction from the luxuries of royal life. "What's up?"

"I just finished talking with Queen Elizabeta," Matthew replied, waving shyly to a maid for his usual morning breakfast of pancakes. "She was thinking about adding a few more exports to try to improve our trading and things. All in a day's work, eh?"

"Yeah, I guess," Alfred said. Quickly turning his attention to his steaming plate of bacon and eggs, trying his best to not snort at his brother's horrified expression as he scarfed them down.

\---

As the day turned from dull to dreary as rain came upon the palace mid morning, Alfred decided to spend some time with his brother after trying to tend to the horses and being unceremoniously shooed off. Of course, Matthew had his own work to do, but with such a important task at hand he felt like he would swallow his pride for once and ask for assistance.

"Come in." Even before he had finished his sentence, Alfred came charging in the room, noting his brother's sharp inhale and his back suddenly straightening.

"What's wrong, bro?"

"Nothing, I just thought you were Yao," Matthew said, putting down his pen. "He's prepared some documents I need to look over later. What do you need?"

Matthew had started sounding busier than ever since the last Solstice taking place in the sweltering heat of the early summer. He had asked both him and Yao about this, but they had both dismissed him, saying that they had other things to attend to. Of course, Alfred being Alfred, he had snuck into Matthew's small office and searched, but only managed to get away scot free with a tiny bit of time manipulation.

"Uh, you know about the Deciding?" Alfred blurted, making sure to shut the door behind them with a fling of his hand, sending the door flying.

"…can you just stop trying to break my door, first of all? I just managed to bring it back to its normal spot, and I had a pretty bad headache after," Matthew said irritably.

Unfortunately for him-and very fortunately for Alfred-his magic would never measure up to his brother's. Magic was dictated from birth, and due to a bitter six minutes Matthew had been declared the Ace and had been forced to watch his brother leap and bound in front of him as the future King. Of course, that meant lonely days sitting in front of the fire as their parents watched proudly as Alfred started levitating and slamming objects into each other, nights where Alfred smirked at him with his taller height and a series of books that Matthew knew he would chuck out the moment Yao's back was turned.

"Yeah, okay, whatever," Alfred said, pulling up a chair and flashing his brother a bright smile. "So can you help me with this choosing thing? I don't know what to look for in a person."

"That's what you said after you decided to try to romance my maid and caused me lots of embarrassment, eh?" Matthew teased, but pushed away from the desk so he had more space. "Magic word is please, brother."

Alfred grumbled and fidgeted as Matthew watched amusedly, fiddling with his watch as a reminder that Alfred didn't have all day. When Alfred did swallow his ego and asked for help, Matthew thrust his fist into the air in an uncharacteristic declaration of success and whooped loudly.

"Okay, okay, I get it! Here's the stuff," Alfred said, shoving the port into Matthew's chest.

"Isn't this a brand new thing that Yao mentioned?" Matthew questioned, turning the object around in his hands.

"Yeah, it's a handheld port. That's how I'm choosing?"

"They haven't all come in, right?" Matthew said knowledgeably, tapping on his calendar that was adorned with bears. "You should just probably laze off on your fat ass by then."

"Hey, I ain't fat!" Alfred protested. "And how do you know all about my schedule?"

"More like you should know more about me," Matthew retorted, but noted that Alfred had brought his chair around to directly face him and had quickly composed himself, peering closely at the screen. "But anyway, this thing can't take notes. Bring some paper, and we'll see which ones you fancy for now."

The two brothers spent the afternoon going through the applicant system, which had one new batch coming in every other hour. They had sectioned off the candidates into the four kingdoms, although the system did have issues and did not section off the ones that came from the holding facilities and the ones that didn't.

They hardly noticed the Jack's absence from the castle until he joined them for a late dinner, all breathless and flushed as he put down his usual stack of documents and asked for a bowl of soup before Alfred bombarded him with questions and Matthew dug up the piece of paper to show him.

"I'm sorry, boys," Yao said after he asked the maids to leave the trio alone. "There were a few issues with the military drafting. We've just received our military assignment. I trust that you're ready to speak tomorrow night, Matthew? The speech isn't too complicated, I hope."

"N-no, Yao, it's completely fine. I haven't had much time to run through it today specifically, because Alfred needed some help with getting through selecting a few candidates." Matthew said, showing him the paper. "We did a little research into what and who he'd pick."

"Well, nothing wrong with a little head start. Good work, you two." Yao praised, putting down his spoon. "We only have a week between announcing the candidates and the Deciding actually starting, so we have until the Broadcast for you to choose, Alfred. Do you need help with other duties then?"

Alfred, who had been deep in thought and nursing his chicken leg, jumped as Yao's cool gaze fixed onto him. Loosening his tie, he nodded readily.

"It's not like I really have a lot of duties, anyway." he muttered under his breath as he bid goodnight to his brother and guardian. Going up the stairs into his bedroom, he paused before deciding to wander around the vast halls.

Judging from the day, there was so many things going on for the two of them that Alfred could not help feeling excluded. Of course, their work didn't sound fun at all, but at least it gave some purpose to their day. For him, however, he was just stuck as a crown prince before he could find his princess. Then the job, the responsibilities, the power…it would be all his.

Matthew was already an Ace. Yao had been the Jack ever since he and his twin had been born. He still came across articles and books talking about his parents' glorious rule as king and queen before they had both died, and how they had brought Spades to become a more prosperous kingdom than it had been before their joint reign. What kind of legacy would that serve for him to live up to?

With a pang, Alfred touched his cheek, remembering how his mother used to kiss his chubby face goodnight and how his father's beard used to brush against his rosy cheeks as he told him jokes. Now it had mellowed out into a more handsome face and a strong jaw, but what would he not give to have it softer and more rounded like it was in his childhood. Far from the mould of being perfect, like he was always seen, how he was always shown in the media.

Dithering in the first floor south corridor, he paused for a moment before deciding to turn west and go up the large staircase back into the path of his room.

After all, he had a week. A week, to make his life change for the better.

reviews would be appreciated.


	5. Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> i am literally the devil when it comes to updating. i've redone all the previous chapters so go read again haha

thank god more rewrites are coming out

i don't own aph or the selection, that's by hidekaz himaruya and kiera cass to their own.

"This is still too early in the morning for something like this," A girl complained, and Arthur's head turned around.

The place was completely packed, the square that Kiku and Arthur walked past almost weekly for their checkups. It was usually empty, save for a few couples having partners or tourists from other countries walking around, but today it was packed.

It was the week after the information had been sent in and Arthur's encounter with Gilbert. The two of them had tried to go around their normal business, but all classes had been cancelled for them since they had entered that year. They had thought of going to the housing blocks of the last Holding Facility, the one that housed the twenty year olds, but it was completely abandoned. Kiku had attributed this to the fact that they were in the last year of eligibility and were probably struggling to make ends meet since they usually would not be picked due to their age. If a twenty year old was chosen, many people attributed it to the fact that they usually paid their way in instead of being in the holding facilities.

Interestingly enough, they seemed to be divided this year since they seemed to be held for the position of entering the Deciding, of course. Even in the beginning, it had been no secret that many rich families from the Inner Circles bought the forms so that they could register for the Deciding, passing screening that was included in the holding facilities. Nowadays, it was a legal matter, but it was no longer considered taboo. However, some form of stigma still remained for the parents that paid in excess of three hundred thousand gold to get a fast track form that basically put their children on par with the people that had lived in the holding facilities their whole lives, such as Arthur and Kiku. Arthur's family got fifty thousand gold per year due to his loss as a breadwinner for his family and his services to the crown, and that amount was astronomical in his perspective.

Some of the richer families living in the Inner Circles had set up picnic blankets in their partition, chatting amicably with their son or daughter. Some of them were dressed in extravagant clothes as if they already lived in the palace, and as Arthur and Kiku walked past them he caught a glance of a woman handing her sons some powder and a brush, which they proceeded to dust on their cheeks. The same was happening all over the square while they quietly shuffled off to a seating area that was roped off from the families. As Arthur watched, he noticed that the number of those eligible were a lot less than last year's selection preparing to go into service for the crown.

Perhaps it's because the opportunity is just for us who've been selected at birth? Arthur questioned, wiggling his toes in his shoes in discomfort. He had been pressed into a suit that was blue to match the country he was opting with, and on his left Kiku was wearing a red one, to represent Hearts.

The girl next to him was wearing blue as well, her dress pulled tightly to the side to accompany her sullen expression. With a hint of surprise, Arthur remembered her face as Natalya, the same girl he had run into the day that they had to apply.

"Er, hello," he said, and she turned herself to face him. Her eyes lost a little of that hostility, but her response was clipped all the same. Arthur felt even more awkward, but as Kiku was currently staring at the wealthy behind them, he decided to try to resume a conversation with her.

…wait, if she hadn't been living in the holding facilities all this time, why was she not down there with the others?

"Well, to answer your question, it's none of your business." she said, and Arthur noticed too late that he had spoken the question out loud.

"I'm sorry, I was just curious," he said quickly, averting his gaze for a moment. "Is our…is our agreement still on?"

Natalya examined him with her cool gaze, her nails resting on her cheek for a moment before she nodded.

"I don't even know if we'll still get in or not," she said, her look not wavering. "Are you that sure about our alliance?"

"I think that was more of a truce, but seeing the people here," he trailed off, doing a quick glance of the people behind them. "I don't exactly want to be unceremoniously kicked out."

"Hmm. Here's what I think - those spoilt brats that actually do get in, they'll be gone in a week. They don't really know how to survive in the palace, after all."

"What do you mean?" Arthur asked confusedly. "As much as I know, the only thing you'll have to do is impress the prince, make him fall in love with you, and so forth…"

"Tch," she snorted, looking a little bemused. "If it was so simple, there wouldn't need to be a competition in the first place. People have more than one way to get what they want."

At that precise moment, the clock on the stage turned to three pm, the display whirred to life and Arthur was left to ponder at those words.

\---

The Ace of Hearts is a grumpy man, Arthur thought as he watched the Ace board the sidewalk that led to the display. His brown hair was a shade darker than his brother's, and his skin held a dark, olive shade that his brother, the Jack of Hearts, did not have. His green eyes narrowed at the crowd, and he got started with a flurry of curses and 'belt up, you brats.' This would have been considered exceptionally rude other than the fact that it was part of Ace Lovino's charm and the audience seemed to soak it up, except for a few parents who covered up their children's ears and glared furiously at him.

"Yeah, yeah. So anyway, I guess you've all seen enough of my ugly face and I'm tired as hell of showing it myself, so let's just get onto the Kingdoms. For this year," he said, taking a break and staring down at a small object clutched tightly in his palm.

"There are three kingdoms - the Clubs, the Hearts and the Spades. All information is in your packet which you should have brought today. So, let's present who has been randomly selected for the Clubs Kingdom!"

Arthur noticed Natalya clench her fists next to him and look away, and he wondered what had gone on between her and the estranged kingdom. He could see a boy from across him grip a green sheet of paper in excitement - no doubt his form - and a light muttering break out amongst the crowd.

"Look at your papers now, please," Lovino continued. "If your number flashes up on the screen in the next, uh ten damn minutes, then that's your cue to go up the stage. Don't be stupid, and get on there as soon as possible. Remember, there's only ten per country this year because Diamonds is not participating at all - Francis, that old piece of sh- ahem, so don't come running up."

The numbers 91631 flashed up onto the screen, and behind Arthur he heard a high pitched squeal of a girl. As everyone turned around to look, a green slip of paper was being waved up in the air. As the crowd parted way, she ran up, clad in a bright, emerald dress. She giggled and handed Lovino a piece of paper, which he quickly examined before calling out 'the next number' and pressing a button, causing another number - 17532 - to flash up onto the screen.

"What are your numbers?" Kiku hissed under his breath.

"01310," Arthur hissed in return. "What's yours?"

"94126," he replied curtly. The two of them turned around and watched slowly as the rest of the Clubs ceremony continued on.

The rest of the table had gone silent after the boy clad in green had been summoned up to the stage, and Arthur noticed very few splotches of green amongst the sea of reds and lots and lots of blues.

"Kiku…I've just realised there's a lot of people wearing blue today. Do you think I'll really be able to get in or will you have to think of a Plan B-" Arthur began to question, but he was interrupted by the Ace again.

"Okay, now that's all sweet 'n dandy. They're off to Clubs. ANYWHO," he yelled over the annoyed clamours of the parents of the children that had not gotten in (apparently all three of those wanting to go to Clubs had gotten in. Pretty odd.)

"Let's move off to the next most exciting one - the one right at home. Great, no long distance travel needed. Still going to be ten of you."

The two of them watched as the digits on the screen flashed back to 00000.

Arthur heard Kiku take a long, deep breath next to him. Of course his friend was worried, even though it didn't exactly mean that if he won that he would be married to a guy that he barely knew, but even so. He was entering this whole malarkey just to see if he could help Heracles in any way he could.

And so was he.

"The first number is 61349," Lovino announced, and a girl with a distinctive purple streak in her hair got up from the far right of the table and walked onto the stage, reaching into her pink cardigan and handing him the folded envelope. They shook hands, and she curtsied to him before exiting the stage. Arthur and Kiku politely clapped, as the others did on the table as well.

The second and third numbers belonged to a pair of boys, dressed in smartly pressed suits as they both ran up to give their letters to Lovino. The next two were girls clearly from the Inner Circles judging by their sequinned and jeweled dresses, one of which tucked her black hair behind her ear and giggled before handing it to the Ace, and the other one simply thrust it out to him and twisted her mouth into a scowl to match his own.

"And that's six. We'll be seeing the seventh candidate in just a moment," Lovino continued, casting a glance at the last girl before pushing his thumbs against the strange device. "Ah, damn servers."

"Kiku, do you think you can make a quick switch to Spades?" Arthur hissed hurriedly, taking note of his best friend's urgent expression. "I mean, if you don't get in, I'm not sure if-"

"Goddamn!" Lovino cursed angrily at the stage, and the two boys looked up.

But that was not what held their gaze, as the number 94126 was flashing up on the screen.

Kiku's hands stilled, and for a moment he seemed to be frozen in his seat in shock until Arthur's initial surprise stopped as well. He reached over and tapped his friend's shoulder, quickly motioning with his green eyes for him to get onto the stage.

"Hurry, you don't want him getting angry," Arthur urged, and with a daze Kiku nodded and quickly got to his feet, amidst clapping on their table. Arthur's gaze followed him as he lifted up the folds of his formal wear, bowed once to Lovino and handed over the neatly folded parcel of his particulars, and then went off left stage, like the others.

Just like that, without a goodbye, they had parted for the first time in years. They even had shared the same classes, let alone the same dorm, and Arthur found himself feeling strangely empty as he watched Kiku's now empty spot.

"I'm just going to guess he's your friend?" Natalya asked next to him, her cool eyes curious, and he could only nod in response, staring back at his thumbs placed squarely on the table.

\---

The rest of the Hearts selection passed without much incident, other than the connection dipping on the last person which caused another uproar of annoyance – well, mostly from the Ace but some general grumblings – and as the last person, a girl with dark skin and curly hair, curtsied to Lovino and gracefully exited the stage, the square seemed to quiet down. Arthur noticed that a few members, mostly clad in red, were leaving the square, probably disappointed by the result. But he also noticed that at least two thirds of the square were packed by figures clad in blue clothes. There was a lot more competition than he initially thought there was going to be, he thought with a shiver.

"All right, I guess this is the big one tonight. But like everyone else, it's only ten this year. So our first number is 24493," Lovino announced, and there was a quick rush of papers and checking for the five digits.

"Oh," Natalya said next to him, and he quickly turned around to face her. The light blue paper she was holding in her hands had the numbers 24493 were printed in bold font. "Huh. Guess our deal's on, anyway."

"Wait, but I don't even know if I'll get in-" Arthur began awkwardly, but she had already made her way up to the stage and with an outstretched hand, she handed him her unfolded letter. With a flourish Lovino took it, and she stalked off the stage to the right of the stage when she was gestured, different from the other two kingdoms. Maybe there was something to do with the geographical side of things?

Feeling a little unsettled about Natalya's confidence that he would indeed get into the process, he dug back into his pocket and mulled over the piece of paper. While the next two candidates were called up, one to loud cheers in the sectioned off area, and one to polite claps from his table.

Rereading the 01310 printed on his page, he turned around to scan his information once more.

Okay, my name's correct, they've printed my middle name this time. My age – blimey, am I really that old? Never mind…all right, they've changed my gender from not applicable to male, thank goodness-

"Please save your little goodbyes for later!" Lovino bellowed. His hands were cupped around his mouth and it appeared like he was shouting as normal, but as Arthur looked a little harder it seemed like his cupped hands were almost…vibrating?  
Perhaps he was using magic to amplify his voice?

He was so invested in his thoughts that he didn't even catch the seventh number being called out.

"Next – the number of 01310!" Lovino called, and Arthur noticed the people sitting next to him pulling out their papers and checking their number. That was a good idea, it…

…Again, neatly inscribed on his paper were the five little numbers. Zero, one, three, one, zero. Arthur's gaze flew open in shock, and he heard Lovino repeat it again, sounding a little more impatient than he had last time. But there was absolutely no mistaking that the number belonged to him.

"Yo, are you deaf or something, dude?" The boy sitting two seats away from him and leaned over his shoulder and was staring at his paper. "That's, uh, your number. You have to go up, man."

…well, with that, all plans of a bluff were immediately called off. Arthur scooped up his sheets and slowly walked up to the podium to clapping from the holding facilities' table and polite clapping from the fenced off area.

"Don't leave me waiting so long, kid," Lovino grumbled, but he thrust out a leather gloved hand anyway. "Papers, you."

Arthur unfurled them, shakily handing them to the Ace as he leafed through them. He removed his glove and placed them on the papers. A few seconds passed, then he tucked it under his arm and slid his glove back on.

"Congrats. Exit's on the…on the right. Carriages will be there to take you off. Now shoo!" he said, and Arthur complied like he had been taught to all his life, bowing quickly before exiting the packed square, still a little dazed and more than overwhelmed.

\---

"Hey sir, the seventh one's coming!" he heard a call when he went down the steps and came to a stretch of road. Ten extravagant carriages like the Ace had said, laced in rich blue and pulled by idle horses, were waiting. Presumably, six were already filled.

"My lady, please keep it down." A man was standing outside the procession, dressed in blue robes as well. "Sir, what is your given number?"

"Er, 01310," Arthur answered, skipping a beat. The man pulled out a small silver device, one that was the exact same shape and colour to the one that Ace Lovino was holding. With a poised finger, he did a dragging motion on the screen of the device, and after a few moments he snapped it shut and tucked it into his pocket.

"Welcome, Sir Arthur, to the Spades Deciding." he said, his back straightening. "Please alight onto carriage seven, we have an official on call to announce protocol if you need to. Otherwise, there are a section of papers that you may read on the way to the Spades palace to understand what this process requires of you."

Arthur nodded dumbly as he led him to the carriage and helped him get on, even though he tried his best to refuse. The seats were plush and a lighter shade of blue, and he crossed his legs and drew the curtains when the man was gone.

On the seat next to him lay a neat folder, marked with blue and white. Picking it up, he leafed through the contents. There were the standard things such as rules, and a printed copy of some of the basic laws. Most interestingly, there were a section of tips about how to handle the whole process.

It is highly advised that you attend to all of the breakfasts, lunches and dinners served instead of taking them in your room. Even though you can eat alone if you wish, most drama and some interactions take place in the dining hall.

"Can't I just hole up in my room and have dinner up there?" Arthur asked himself. Being surrounded in a room of thirty people and the prince while they flirted and giggled instead of actually eating? No thank you.

If the prince or princess asks for you, at any time and any place, it is highly recommended that you attend to him or her. If they do not know whether they like females or males, it is advised that you ignore this fact and proceed on with the process as normal. As the Deciding goes on, the prince or princess will decide freely, regardless of sexual orientation, as Spades does not discriminate against same sex relationships. If they find out their true orientation they will not restart the Deciding in favour of choosing those exclusive to that gender. This makes the process fairer for all parties involved.

"…good point. I mean, if he turns out to be mysteriously heterosexual*, then that's all my time wasted, then."

"Sir?" he was interrupted by a knocking on his carriage door. "Is there something wrong? Do you need an official on call?"

"A-ah, I'm sorry! There's nothing wrong at all." Arthur yelped, embarrassed. Was he really that loud?

"Talking to himself? Is he crazy or what? Are these the kind of weirdoes I'm going to have to spend the next few months with?" he heard a girl grumble outside, and he heard the carriage creak behind him. She must be number eight…or nine? Given the speed of the process, number ten could be on the carriages by now.

He twisted his mouth into a scowl, and wished he could retaliate. Placing the folder back onto his lap, he was about to put the paper back in until he noticed a sentence, printed smaller at the bottom of the sheet.

Do try to not deny the prince or princess of anything they ask of you. It was a bad idea.

A chill ran down his back as he read it. What did they mean? Were they suggesting that they had done it before with the use of the word was?

His thoughts were rudely interrupted (again) with the commotion up front. All of a sudden, his carriage was moving, and he was left to wallow in the fact that he, of all people, had managed to enter the Deciding.

Oh, bollocks. Oh, bollocks indeed.

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*hahahahahahahaha

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